Doctors recommend effective ways to prevent seasonal flu

Be careful with easily confused disease symptoms

Seasonal flu is an infectious disease caused by the influenza virus, which spreads rapidly through the respiratory tract. According to statistics, more than 90 million children worldwide get the flu each year. What is worrying is that the symptoms of seasonal flu such as fever, cough, and runny nose are often similar to many other respiratory diseases, making patients and caregivers easily subjective, leading to delays in treatment, potentially leading to dangerous complications.

Many young children are hospitalized with symptoms of seasonal flu. Photo: PV

Baby Hoang Minh Khang (27 months old, residing in Hung Thinh commune, Hung Nguyen district) is a typical case. When Khang had signs of continuous high fever and cough, his family thought he only had a common rhinopharyngitis and bought medicine to treat it at home. However, after three days, the condition did not improve but became more serious, forcing the family to take him to Vinh General Hospital for examination.

Ms. Tran Thi Huong, Khang's mother, shared: "At first, we thought he just had a common cold, so we bought fever reducers and antibiotics for him to use at home. But his illness did not improve, and when we went to the hospital, we found out he had influenza A, which had developed into pneumonia."

Baby Khang is one of many cases of children with seasonal flu who were admitted late to Vinh General Hospital recently.

Children with seasonal flu are susceptible to serious complications

Seasonal influenza is a common infectious disease that can occur at any age. However, young children, the elderly and people with underlying diseases are the groups that are most vulnerable to severe effects. If not treated promptly and properly, it can lead to many dangerous complications for children; especially young children, children with underlying diseases, and low resistance.

According to statistics, seasonal flu increases the risk of pneumonia by 8 times in children under 14 years old. Complications that can occur in children with flu include: pneumonia, sinusitis, myocarditis, encephalitis - meningitis and many other serious health problems.

As in the case of Nguyen Hai Dang (6 years old), residing in Hung Thinh commune, Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An province. Initially, the child had common symptoms such as fever, cough, and wheezing. However, after only two days of continuous high fever, the child's health condition quickly deteriorated. When the family took him to the hospital, he was diagnosed with seasonal flu with complications of pneumonia and enteritis. According to Ms. Cao Thuy Phuong - Dang's mother, her child had not been vaccinated against the flu before.

Pediatricians at Vinh City General Hospital instruct parents on how to care for children with the flu. Photo: PV

Master, Doctor Le Phuong Hong - Department of Pediatrics, Vinh City General Hospital, said: "The course of flu in children is very different, depending on their physical condition and resistance. Children with good immunity often have only mild symptoms, with few complications. On the contrary, children who have not been vaccinated against flu, have weak immune systems or have underlying diseases are susceptible to severe complications. Full vaccination is an important measure to reduce the risk of flu and help children recover faster if infected."

How to prevent disease early for children

Master, Doctor Le Phuong Hong recommends that parents should proactively prevent diseases for children by: maintaining hygiene, improving resistance, getting regular flu vaccinations and avoiding contact with sources of disease.

In case a child shows signs of flu, with typical symptoms: sudden high fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, fatigue, parents need to closely monitor and provide proper care to improve the child's health to help them recover quickly and avoid complications.

Parents should take their children to a medical facility immediately if the following dangerous signs appear: Difficulty breathing, rapid breathing or chest retraction, high fever that does not go down (over 39°C) despite taking antipyretics, convulsions, lethargy, difficulty waking up; frequent vomiting, refusal to eat or drink, signs of dehydration, skin rash with fever.

Children in high-risk groups (children under 6 months old, children with underlying diseases, children who have not been vaccinated against flu and have been in contact with sick people) should see a doctor early even if they do not have severe symptoms.

Early detection and treatment will avoid the risk of complications and help minimize the risk of affecting the child's health./.

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Source: https://baonghean.vn/bac-si-khuyen-cao-cach-phong-cum-mua-hieu-qua-10298042.html